


Hanging Over Me

by orphan_account



Series: Detroit Evolution Artfest [JUL 2020] [4]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Cats, DE ArtFest, DEArtfest, Developing Relationship, Engagement, Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Octopunk Media's Detroit: Evolution Fan Film, Soft Gavin Reed, Soft Upgraded Connor | RK900, Soft Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed, no beta we die like men, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:35:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25158613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The word 'husband' has never had much meaning to Gavin. So when the word won't leave his mind, Gavin finds himself questioning why.
Relationships: Chris Miller & Gavin Reed, Chris Miller/Chris Miller's Wife, Chris Miller/Evangeline Miller, Tina Chen & Chris Miller & Gavin Reed, Tina Chen & Gavin Reed, Tina Chen/Valerie Morales-Chen, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Series: Detroit Evolution Artfest [JUL 2020] [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1811665
Comments: 3
Kudos: 82





	Hanging Over Me

The first time marriage was brought up in Nines and Gavin’s relationship, it was late December, a year after they had first gotten together. They were at a New Years’ work party. Gavin hated these events and hated dressing up for them even more. It was slightly more enjoyable to see Nines in a white suit, though. 

“Are you feeling alright, Gavin?” Nines asked, noticing the far off look in Gavin’s eye. Gavin blinked a few times then shook his head, coming back to reality. He looked up at Nines.

“Y-yeah. Yeah, I’m fine, Tincan. You know how I can get around crowds.” Gavin said. Nines’ eyes never left him.

“Do you need to take a moment outside?” Nines placed his hand on top of Gavin’s, synthetic skin pulled back to show white plastic. Gavin intertwined their fingers together.

“Nah, I’m good for now. Might take you up on that later, though.” Gavin looked down at their interlaced hands with a small smile on his face.

“When are you two getting married?” Hank asked, glancing at the younger couple over the rim of his glass. Connor could be seen behind him, walking towards the group with two cups in hand.

“When are you getting married, old man?” Gavin shot back, though there was no real bite behind his words. Connor handed one of the blue-filled cups to Nines, who uttered a thanks, before standing next to Hank. Hank chuckled at Gavin’s words. 

“Fair enough, I’m just saying you two are practically married already…” Connor made something of a noise in agreement as he rested his head on Hank’s shoulder. 

\----

The next it was Nines who brought up the idea of marriage. It was early April, Nines had just moved in with Gavin, not that he had much to be moved in to begin with. They were sitting in the living room watching one of the many older movies Gavin owned. Gavin had his head on Nines shoulder, Asshole was sitting in between the two. Nines’ hand was resting on her head, while Gavin’s was on her back. 

“What would you think about getting married?” Nines suddenly asked. Gavin snorted in response. 

“You and this disaster? Can’t imagine,” Gavin said dismissively. Nines let out an audible breathe through his nose. 

“I see.” Nines said before going silent. Nines wanted to say more, a fact Gavin easily picked up on. He sat up quickly, taking Nines’ hand in his. 

“Shit, Nines, I didn’t mean it like that,” Gavin said. Nines looked at him, an unreadable expression on his face. Gavin took a deep breath to collect himself before he continued. “It’s not that I wouldn’t want to get married to you, I just… Marriage is a big commitment I don’t think I could ever handle. I don’t see a reason for us to get married, I think our relationship is fine where it is and-”

Gavin stopped talking when Nines placed his now-white hand on his cheek. Gavin’s eyes had wandered as he rambled, a nervous habit he had developed in recent years. He brought his eyes back to Nines’, his hand coming to rest his hand on top of the one on his cheek. “You don’t need to explain yourself, Gavin. Marriage was a really big thing to bring up so unexpectedly and I apologize for doing so. I’m perfectly content and happy with our relationship where it is; I don’t want to push you into such a commitment like that.”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for, Tincan.” They discussed for a bit longer, agreeing that their relationship was fine where it was, and that marriage was unneeded. As long as they had each other, everything would work out in the end. 

\----

“You know who I think we should toast to?” Tina asked. The group was at the same bar Chris’ premotion party had been two years earlier, only this time it was Tina’s promotion they were celebrating. She raised her glass towards Gavin and Nines, who were sitting next to each other on her left. “These dorks being together for two years!”

“I’ll drink to that!” Valerie said from where she was sitting to Tina’s right. 

“You’ll drink to anything.” Chris’s wife said. Evangeline was sitting to Valerie’s right, leaving Chris in between herself and Nines. Valerie considered Evangeline’s comment for a moment 

before nodding. 

“You right,” She said, “but back to the lovebird dorks.”

“C’mon, guys. Tonight is supposed to be about Tina.” Gavin had a feeling Tina would do something like what she did and was mentally prepared for it. That didn’t mean he had to like it. “Our anniversary isn’t even tonight, it’s in a week. 

“Five days, actually,” Nines corrected, before taking a sip of his blue-filled glass. 

“Same thing,” Gavin said with a dismissive wave. 

“Awe, they even bicker like a married couple,” Tina exclaimed, catching Gavin’s eye and winking at him. Gavin glared back. Chris furrowed his eyebrows.

“Evan and I don’t bicker like that.” He said. Evangeline glanced at him, a giggle leaving her mouth. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” She said, finger idling tracing the rim of her mostly full glass. 

“We don’t bicker like Nines and Gavin, dude,” Chris said, resting both hands on the table.

“ _Wow_. You all hearing this? I’ve been dude-zoned by my own husband.” Evangeline turned to the others, a dramatic offended look on her face. Nines, Tina, and Valerie all laughed while Chris sputtered, trying to provide an explanation.

_My own husband._

_Husband._

Gavin smiled slightly at Evangeline’s joke, though her last words stayed hanging over his head. _Husband. Husband._ That word had never had any significance to him before, so why was it stuck in his head like a catchy song now?

He glanced at Nines. Nines had his hand slightly in front of his mouth as he laughed, his eyes closed and the slightest blue tint to his cheeks. God, Gavin could get used to seeing that face every day. That had been his reality for three years in fact, but it still baffled him. 

\----

“Do I have to wear a tie?” Gavin whined. Nines chuckled as he tightened the tie in question around Gavin’s neck. 

“I’m not too happy about having to wear one, either. But it’s just for the main event, two hours at most. You can take it off for the afterparty.” Gavin pouted. Nines smiled and cupped his cheek, white plastic already revealed. “Hey. Don’t give me that look.”

Gavin puffed up his cheeks angrily at Nines before he sighed and accepted his fate. He put his hand on top of Nines’, then leaned on his toes to kiss him. Goddamn android was too goddamn tall. Nines leaned down as they kissed so Gavin could stand easier. They pressed their foreheads together once they pulled away, Gavin’s eyes still closed. 

“Are you ready to go, Gavin?” Nines asked after a moment of silence. Gavin opened his eyes and slowly nodded.

“Y-yeah. The sooner we get this over, the better.”

It was early June, several officers from the DPD were asked to attend the graduation ceremony of the local police academy. Nines had been asked to speak, as this was the first graduating class that included androids. Because Gavin and Chris were his partners, they were asked to attend as well. It wasn’t the first time Gavin had been invited; every year he hated it more than the last. 

Sure, he was happy for a new generation of officers trying to protect and make the world a better place, but for him, it was a cruel reminder that he never got this opportunity. He didn’t get to go to college, hell he doesn’t even have a high school diploma. Sure, he was grateful that Fowler had given him the chance to turn his life around, but there were times he wished he had gotten here himself. That things had been different. 

He tried to be more positive this time. His boyfriend was speaking, celebrating his people’s accomplishments. He knew Nines was happy to be able to do so, and Gavin didn’t want to take that away from him. _For Nines. I’m doing this for Nines._

Gavin stood at the back of the outdoor stage, in front of a row of flags. Chris and Evangeline stood to his left, and Fowler to his right. He wanted to listen to what Nines was saying at the podium at the front of the stage. He was focusing on Nines face instead, the gentle and calm blue of his LED, and the corners of his mouth subtly turned upwards. 

Nines was proud of where he was. Of where his people were. He had never said it to Gavin, but Gavin could see it in his facial expression and tone of voice. The thought made Gavin smile. 

The crowd started to clap and cheer. A few people stood up, then more, until the entire crowd was standing. A standing ovation. They were giving Nines a standing ovation. Whatever Nines had said, clearly swayed the crowd. Gavin clapped with them, Nines turned towards him with the biggest grin Gavin had seen on his face. He resisted the huge to shout, ‘That’s my husband!’. _Husband?_

There was that word again. It had been sitting in the back of Gavin’s mind since Evangeline’s joke last October. Gavin wasn’t able to place why it was there, but it had been hanging over Gavin’s head for months. But that sudden urge to shout that Nines was his husband? Suddenly he realized why he couldn’t shake the word from his mind.

_He wanted to call Nines his husband._

\----

“Tina, how did you propose to Valerie?” Gavin asked. He and Tina were sitting across from each other in a booth in the back of some cheap burger joint in downtown Detroit. Tina furrowed her eyebrows at him. 

“Why?” She asked, not bothering to finish chewing the bite of cheeseburger in her mouth. 

“I don’t know. If both mentioned it several times but you’ve never actually told me the story.” Gavin shrugged before taking a bite of his burger. 

“And that’s all there is to it?” Tina asked, a skeptical eyebrow raised. She was on to him. Gavin stared at her a moment, deciding if he should confirm what she already knew. He sighed.

“You tell anyone else I’ll kill you.” He said. Tina gasped as if she didn’t already know. 

“You’re gonna propose to Nines!” She said excitedly. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Big fuckin’ deal.” Gavin rolled his eyes. Tina made a fake sniffle and used her finger as a tear rolling down her cheek. 

“I so proud of you,” She said. Gavin grumbled under his breath but didn’t say anything in response. Tina smiled at him before she continued the conversation. “Did you actually want to know how I proposed to Val or were you trying to figure out how to fo it yourself?”

“You know I love ya, T, but I am just trying to figure out how to do it myself. Most of the stuff on the internet is just like “Take them out for a nice dinner!”. It’s not like Nines and I haven’t gone out to eat before, but its usually just him watching me eat, and that’s not what I want for a proposal…”

“Well, that was your first mistake, looking on the internet. You gotta make it more personal than that. How do you think Nines would like to be proposed to? Neither of you strike me as the type that would enjoy a public proposal…”

\----

Gavin woke up to small paws kneading his pec. He and Nines had adopted a small kitten recently, and she had woken Gavin every day like this. Nines didn’t let Gavin name her. He named her Adri. 

“Mornin’ Adri,” Gavin mumbled tiredly. He picked her up with one hand as he sat up, only to set her back in his lap. Nines walked in a moment later with a cup of coffee, handing it to Gavin as he sat down. “Thanks.”

“Evangeline’s called me three times and texted seven to confirm we’ll be there by noon.” Nines reached over to the kitten now perched on Gavin’s knee to scratch her small head. 

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll be there.” Gavin glanced at the clock; it was just after eight. 

“I have breakfast ready if you’d like to join me in the living room.” 

“I’ll be there in a moment.” Gavin leaned over a press a kiss to Nines’ cheek, “Thanks for the coffee.” 

Nines smiled before he left the room. Once he was gone, Gavin reached over into his nightstand drawer, one of the only places in the apartment Nines never touched, and pulled out a small velvet box. He opened it to show Adri.

“What do you think, Adri?” Inside the box, there was a pair of titanium rings, one with a stripe of blue, the other a stripe of red. The kitten meowed and pawed at the box, though Gavin made sure she didn’t touch the rings. “You think he’ll say yes?”

Gavin closed the box and put it in his shorts pocket before picking up Adri and taking her to the living room. He sat down on the couch next to Nines, who had Asshole in his arms to keep her from eating the plate of eggs and toast on the coffee table. 

“Tell me you didn’t get me too many gifts,” Gavin said, setting Adri on Nines’ lap before grabbing the plate. 

“Just two. Most of that pile is for the gifts or our friends.” There was a small pile of gifts on the coffee table, all wrapped in the same red wrapping paper because Gavin didn’t see the need to have more than one roll of wrapping paper at once. 

Gavin had never been one to decorate for Christmas. He could fit a tree in his apartment if he really wanted to, but he didn’t. He also didn’t want the cats playing with it and leaving a mess on the floor for him to pick up. He did let Nines replace the salt and pepper shakers with some snowmen ones. They had found them at a thrift store, and Nines really liked them.

Nines waited until Gavin was finished eating then took his plate to the kitchen. Gavin reached over to the pile of gifts and grabbed the box at the top. He glanced at the name written in perfect cursive on the sticker, “...This one’s for Asshole.” 

He shook the box in front of the older cat Nines had left on the couch. Asshole followed it with her eyes and head for a minute, before pouncing on it. She ripped part of the wrapping paper, showing the brown cardboard underneath. Nines chuckled as he sat back down, taking the box from Gavin and opening it for Asshole.

The two of them finished unwrapping various toys and treat for the cats, and set aside the gifts to take with them to the Miller’s house later. Nines picked up the last three gifts from the table, handed two to Gavin, and kept one for himself. They opened the gifts, a watch and a journal from Nines, and a new white and blue jacket from Gavin. Nines started to stand up so he could clean up the wrapping paper, but Gavin caught him by the wrist first. “I- I actually have one more gift you,”

“Oh?” Nines’ LED turned yellow as he sat back down, staring at Gavin expectantly. “What is it?”

_No going back, Gavin. You can do this. Nines loves you, he’s not going anywhere. It’s now or never._

“Look, you know I’m not good at words… or emotions, but I-” Gavin took a deep breath before continuing, “But, I’ve had this question on the tip of my tongue for a while now, and I...”

Gavin sighed, before handing Nines the box from his pocket. Nines gave Gavin a questioning gaze but took the box anyway. His LED started shifting in between yellow and red when he saw what was in the box. 

“Gavin…”

“Will you marry me, Nines?”

“I thought-”

“I know I said I didn’t think marriage was something for us, but I- I don’t know, I had this really strong desire to call you my husband and-” Nines cut Gavin off from rambling further with a kiss. After he pulled away, Gavin looked at him nervously.

“I would love to marry you, Gavin.” 


End file.
